Sri Lanka will give Pakistan tough time, says Sarfraz Ahmed

KARACHI: Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed said on Saturday that series against Sri Lanka will be a challenge for the team as the visiting side will give Team Pakistan, ‘a tough time’. Speaking at a press conference, the skipper said that the retirement of senior players Younis Khan and Misbahul Haq has left a void – and the team will miss their presence in coming tours. “Misbah took the test team to number one spot and I will try to do my captaincy like him,” adding, “for me captaincy is a challenge.” Ahmed said that leg-spinner Yasir Shah is fit to play the coming series and will play a pivotal role in the test series. He added that the players and team management are on the same page and chief selector Inzamamul Haq gives importance to his opinions. The Test squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka was announced on Saturday, comprising five uncapped players including fast bowler Mir Hamza. Leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who put to rest fitness concerns after he nailed the fitness tests on Saturday, was selected in the squad, along with Azhar Ali, who has been struggling with a troubled knee but was cleared to play with the help of injections. Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, addressing a press conference, announced the names of the 16 players in the squad, which includes a combination of five fast bowlers and two specialist spinners. Batsmen Haris Sohail and Usman Salahuddin have both played one-day internationals for Pakistan but are yet to make their Test debuts. Spin-bowling all-rounder Bilal Asif and left-arm Mohammad Asghar were the other players in the squad yet to play in Tests. The chief selector said he wants to give maximum opportunity to youngsters to showcase their talent in the series. Squad Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain, wicketkeeper), Usman Salahuddin, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Abbas, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza and Wahab Riaz.